The anti-fracking organization Southern Illinoisans against Fracturing our Environment has filed a complaint against the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
SAFE says nine violations show that rulemaking procedures were not followed, as required under Illinois law, in the crafting of the legislation to allow high-volume hydraulic fracturing in Illinois.
Plaintiffs are requesting an injunction be granted against the recently passed Horizontal Fracturing Regulatory Act. Plaintiffs' lawyer Natalie Laczek says the track record of fossil fuels is not good, so they must take action now.
"There is a consensus among people in the scientific community that the emission of carbon fuels is contributing to global warming. And if we do not take some kind of proactive measures at this time, we will be doing ourselves a disfavor and future generations a disfavor as well."
SAFE says IDNR's first notice did not consider scientific studies when creating rules for high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing. It says this violates the central purpose of rulemaking which is to allow the public to address specific information a public agency relies on.
SAFE says it also has a problem with IDNR not having agency representatives available to answer questions at public hearings.
The pro-fracking group, GROW-IL, says the new law was analyzed during a thorough and exhaustive process by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.
